Chapter 124: Mages of the Tower (2)
TQqo“Where is Manroji…?”AbzX
MSgm8Elder Morushtan, the leader of the Black Cult, which was one of the 9 factions of the Tower of Mages, asked once again about the whereabouts of his disciple who hadn’t returned for the last 2 days.XbkoJt
0ClWr“Apologies, Elder Morushtan… We have yet to find… Brother Manroji.”jEZij
BT7j“…”tLs
u6s1“I, I believe… he must be wandering around several gambling dens. It’s common for him to get drunk in gambling dens and spend several days and nights there.”cF6wC
00hfEManroji was one of the disciples of Morushtan. He was from the 4th floor out of 8 floors, which implied that he was a relatively skilled disciple.RNFKu
DT0It was hard to believe that something would have happened to him in one of the backstreet gambling dens so… logically, it was safe to assume that he was simply indulging in the pleasure of entertainment.R0q
sc8n53hHowever, there was another possibility in mind.WQ5SvYm
7aRGjEmIt could be that… Manroji was in fact Adelene the Golden Mage.BkF
3unLSince Adelene had the ability to change their face as they wanted, it was possible that he or she had switched into one of the original members of the Tower to join the group.kllD8
vhnThe rumored lord of the Tower of Mages, Lord Adelene.D4LbyN
gCEd6Adelene was someone who received orders directly from the Divinity of Light and Ard Ri[mfn]TLN: Ard Ri – High King of Ireland[/mfn] of Usurpation, Tates Valtazar.yoB3O
95PVS7IEven this plan to acquire the vampire was based on the command given to Adelene by Ard Ri, and even though Elder Morushtan and Elder Admelech had roughly heard about the ‘Vampire Lord’ plan, they hadn’t heard anything about the specific details of the strategy.ZGAqfFU
OzH6UIf his disciple Manroji was in fact the disguised version of Adelene, it could be that Adelene was on the move already.tm7
4Smt“Send Rellin. Find out where Manroji is.”z8CYKN
Gqf“Understood, Elder Morushtan.”h7MiA
8YXHe still deemed it necessary to look into it, so Morushtan gave orders to his disciples before focusing back on the materials of the Great Library.yh3bklH
ipWEIt wasn’t the time to move just yet. The plan this time around was an enormous one.vbXyjZ
i56The acquisition of the vampire, Marie Dunareff… and the assassination of Chairman Eriu Casarr.wVRK0F
hfteA plan this big was taxing even for the Tower of Mages, so they had to aim for the best opportunity possible.laR
csv“Wow. Ren. This place is hugee.”ucku
4e1rWx“Stop creating a fuss. I told you you have to be quiet in the library.”rUs87J
TzXrt8“Hing… You’re always so mean to me.”IwkD
rjyThat was when Morushtan the black mage caught sight of freshmen siblings who had entered the library to prepare for their assessment.Fafuid
x9EI0x“…Beastmen.”LKOrNJe
SDBwnThey were the ones that the princess being sponsored by the Tower detested the most. And besides… they were incredibly tenacious so they were the best demi-humans for experiments.lylGrl2
SoPWc“You.”koX2Jfu
5Kqd“Yes, Elder Morushtan.”WGv
y23Qu7“Look into those brats over there.”6aHh4
gzeFosMorushtan gazed deeply at the siblings with a spooky pair of eyes. His greedy eyes stayed on the siblings for a very long time.K95
7yT1E****vDmaNyx
9wEbUlOIn the training room, I was training with Alicia.o0G
dtm2PVu“Senior. I’m a new student, called Rose.”b98L
L4N“Yo. Miss Rose. What’s up?”jKr5GVm
wtD9y“Actually, there was a problem while I was creating the blueprint of my weapon…”Qku9lI
g7lbtGPDuring the previous prac lesson at the Hunting Grounds, I gave out magic stones to the 400 new students with each of them being medium-high-grade magic stones above Grade 3. I told them to use those to create their weapons and had also told them to come looking for me whenever a problem popped up during the process.XpQfk
nNk0“Mr. Korin? What’s wrong?”cNuiR7
oLdW“Nothing. One of our juniors came looking for me. Rest up for now.”4sOO
tQNo“Okayy~”lqQvVj
zcKbAlicia, who was drenched in sweat, used the towel next to her to wipe her face and started chugging her bottle of water.UkqEih4
Qd602d“Did I… interrupt you guys?”IGopHn
CQFZ“Huh? Nah. Don’t worry about it. What’s the problem?”J9KqztR
1BlfzRY“So the thing is, the magic circuit connecting this blade to this place here…”zAcvhyx
XABdnI was a veteran gamer who had crafted thousands if not tens of thousands of weapons in ❰Heroic Legends of Arhan❱. I knew by heart which materials had to be used and how they had to be combined to create the best and most efficient result.9yIW
CzoxMLUsing what I knew, I wholeheartedly gave advice to my junior, and although she didn’t understand everything I said, she diligently took note and absorbed everything I told her.ayzO6b
t7n“That should be enough. Instead of Ferghus… go to old man Hollgrehenn. That bloke’s better at making greatswords.”5o3MUB
kU31d“Aht. Thank you so much!”fzC
Qtwy“Show it to me when it’s done. I want to have a look at it too.”smn
LRvgO“Okay! Thank you very much, senior!”28h8wyf
ncNnRose walked away after that. With her eyes on her, Alicia asked while tidying up her loosened hair.Dy2MB
tCBtU1i“That was the third person today. Does it not bother you?”yXvOTX
gH2A“If a few pieces of advice increase those young and innocent juniors’ chance of survival, I can do it all day.”GOjyBpD
m4fuP“Hmm…”mI6fLqw
BTAIpln“What’s up?”WkRoZ
5Igh“Nothing. It just feels like I’m suffering a loss.”zr91
OUBp8s“Is it because we have to stop our training every time? I’m sorry. I already told them I’m usually at the training rooms during this time of the day.”8zdMfgd
0noK“…Yes. That. Well, let’s just say that.”EMiK
9R4t0jiWhat did she mean by that?umU1d
PPRLf“Oh right, Mr. Korin. You know the culture course, 『Love and War』. Are you done with the assignment next week?”Yzt0
WRh“Haah~ that one huh.”qXksLzM
PZHiwoLove and War was one of the courses I applied for for my cultural studies course for the 1st Semester. It was a 2-hour course worth 2 Units of Work that was related to theatrical plays, so I thought it would be an easy course that was just about watching plays and writing reports but…yAYU
HKn0c2“Seriously, there are too many things they want us to do. We have to watch the play, write reports, discuss… and for the last assessment, we even have to act out the play in a group right?”nLy8D
Mlt“I, isn’t it good? There are a lot of new things I’m experiencing and a lot of things to think about…”d5kiQ4
2AfDiFm“Since you mentioned it, how about we stop training here for today and work on the assignment at a cafe?”SzXSY5
zhegH“S, shall we? I can buy the coffee!”XiDig
xX78ATXWe headed straight to one of the cafes nearby.s9L8
9sMecThe campus cafes had desserts and pastries that were baked every day for the students, and were always bustling with people that wanted to study there.OolOe
L3rXDBack when I was going to a university in Korea, I couldn’t understand why people would ever want to study at cafes because I only went to the gym, but after reaching my 6th year at the Academy, I finally realized why.ImV
LY1There were just too many distractions at home. Doing this and that, watching TV and going on the computer… There was also the so-called waste-of-life, SNS, which proved how true the statement was when you lie on the bed scrolling down the feed.vzm
huYpWfOn the other hand, cafes and study rooms had less interruptions. The chairs weren’t comfortable, but that was all the more the reason why it was easier to focus on studying.c50w
lqqiOf course, it depended on the person but at least it worked for me.wLXC
2Vlr3vJ“In the end, this is just cheating propaganda in the disguise of a fateful romance theme.”5sES
jrh“But the female lead was from an unlucky family, and her husband was also very cruel to her.”3ma7ky
XcW“It’s unfortunate, I agree. And even though the husband was by no means a good person, that doesn’t justify cheating.”0acGw3
Y02GTEG“Ugh… that’s true but…”VDE
Rot2Qj“The story itself was quite romantic, and the plot made sense but in the end, it’s just a nice way to package something that’s morally wrong.”UUdg9n
eSn51TI talked about the fundamental issues but Alicia showed an emotional response. It seemed that that play about cheating had left a big impression on her.Rapjej
bou308“W, what if it’s you!? Do you think you wouldn’t have done the same, Mr. Korin?!”Q6JJ
iktCwq“Huh? Wait, why are you bringing me up?”Zy2cNnZ
HJW“Y, you need to put yourself in the shoes of the main characters. R, right. Let’s say you and my sister are married couples.”q66tQ
2mq“Why are you bringing Miss Lunia into the discussion now?”zZyTo
dwZJazS“You almost got engaged to her!”M3W6
ee6kAH“I told you beforehand that it was a fake one.”8EMoQ
TSPGp“Anyway, it’s just a what-if!”maO
YyR7rWith a serious look in her eyes, Alicia put a piece of bread and coffee on either side, and labeled them each as me and Lunia.pbDnb
HPB“Let’s say Sister and brother-in-law are in, you know? A, umm… in a state of ennui[mfn]a feeling of listlessness and dissatisfaction arising from a lack of occupation or excitement[/mfn]? Something like that.”KQeSA
hG15b“B, brother-in-law?”MTNvoSs
jOdb“What if I seduce you in a situation like that?”5Q0kiB0
23YxNe2“…Are you going to?”dtanPj5
ugpDUN3“Yes! ………A, ah, I mean, let’s just say I do.”xhdb
xDTBJShe was so confident with that shout, that it took me aback. This was just a what-if, right? …Right?tHFFZZh
obJlw“Let’s say there is a young, beautiful, and inexperienced sister-in-law who loves you…”7CNqtdr
gVYiAlicia sat herself down next to me, before slowly gazing up and looking straight into my eyes.RG19
EwYuYSn“Brother-in-law… I, love you.”FXEBo
TuLHer clear blue eyes looked deeply into my eyes. It was rather sensuous and… enchanting. Her slightly flushed cheeks appeared like red flower petals that stimulated the heart.ao3
Hud“W, what will you do if I do that?”9RH
gSKT0“I think I will just… turn you down like any other person.”HosduX
hww“D, do I have no charm?!”CR80PM
6WZD2s“Like, that’s not what I mean…”jTlzmzN
GfPZ2I was stuck between a rock and a hard place. Agreeing to cheat was a moral problem whereas saying no was the same as telling a young girl that she was not attractive.6wiXU
WyXfUVdDid I have to lie here to maintain a better social relationship…?xPF9N8
r3xcA“Wait.”oP2n
NbY“Mr. Korin?”94kX
RNDWLQ“Let’s swap the people around. Let’s say you and I are married, and Miss Lunia is seducing me. O, of course, I don’t think Miss Lunia would seduce her brother-in-law but…”4LM
KbWAe“I, I think she would.”wIo14zx
4AGc“Huh?”uU4Yl
EDc8Z7N“Nothing! A, anyway, you mean Mr. Korin and I are… married, right?”ORtps
ex93JSnAlicia twirled her fingers around in embarrassment. Was she an elementary school kid or what…?HXqtKO
On10qjk“I guess… so?”FlF2xlL
XUil929“H, how many kids do we have?’wzxp19
AMKF“Kids? Umm… I’d say one or two like a normal family?”jwoLvs
Z02aI8x“That’s not enough! Of course it needs to be more than 12!”SEFd
iOOiTC“…Is that even possible?”TAtG
BhdEven having four triplets in a row is not going to be enough for that though?g18
E34“I, it’s just a figure of speech. It’s better to have as many kids as possible.”avO5
JdMYZIn response, my eyes subconsciously went down to her belly. Honestly, she was so thin that it seemed risky to even give birth to a twin but…U6Ww1Iw
g6oR“Anyway. Let’s say you’re my wife, and say Miss Lunia seduces me in that situation. Are you okay with that?”Ttd
7PVo“Hmm………”qf2Y
rbm“Why are you even thinking about this?!”aJ0zQu
LCY“Umm… B, but, Sister loves you right?”IJTN
6Ne0r“Huh? If she is willing to cheat… I guess so?”G7iqy
Zcw“It’s sad… to not end up with the person you love, right…”aVYqR
dVkPIs that how it is? Wasn’t she way too good at putting herself in the shoes of someone else? Shouldn’t she be more selfish, or rather, have common sense…?AlpJ059
NSG7ts“Mhmm…! If she really loves Mr. Korin! I think I’ll be okay with that!”iLBA0
lFLH4un“I’m actually starting to be scared of your view on marriage…”tg6GaL
0HJ5U4“But if I call that bad, then… that’s the same as denying my own birth.”jzT
YgVa“Umm…”7gxVRg0
PT6II… didn’t realize that was what she was thinking about. It felt like I had stepped on a mine, and I felt bad for her.VmD
s9Vo“Alicia, how you were born… is not your fault.”wmK8EJ
p8joPRV“…I know. So Mr. Korin.”k2WMUiD
BTTShe shyly scratched the back of my hand with her fingers in a circle, as if signaling that she would leave it to me.hfo
nrenCj“Please love your illegitimate children just as you would for your other kids.”zyQB
zV5iWhy… was she saying that as if it was a given that I would cheat? She looked so serious, however, that I could not raise any counterarguments.LJwEx
lz3djN“Of course it would be great if everyone can live in harmony! We can create a big family with a big house!”mkg
X93Wait, what? Did that mean I could have more wives if I marry Alicia?mBjr
ct0eiIt felt wrong, but I couldn’t tell her it was wrong. If I did, it would be me talking smack about her family…bwK
iVchW4“Hehe. That’s actually not bad. Just thirteen each and it would be at least twenty-six!”aVcaQQZ
myfIn the end, I could not point out what was wrong with her rather-twisted view of family.7QZ
5Fvin****bWZ
MXpaRellin was a disciple from the 3rd floor of the Tower among the black magic cult.9mr8
erAXAWa“Hah, shit… Manroji this baldy, where did he go off to?”8A9dPmn
av09ISince she was alone, Rellin began bad-mouthing Manroji, who was much older than herself. Being near the bottom of the group that was visiting the Academy, she could not escape from having to do these chores.7Kl
HJPfW0K“That baldy? Who knows? He did win a lot of money though.”hCOO
L8qKX“There were a few who thought he was cheating.”yGtL
qFEJLAs usual, Manroji seemed to have gone through various gambling dens in the alleyway to gamble.KZIB
ECKsj“Haah…”CAlQD
aL6agvAnd yet he suddenly disappeared. There were all sorts of contrasting information about how he was when last seen.B5Bjx
H1VSqKPSome said he left the den dead drunk, while some said that he went out with several prostitutes next to him.oMuLi
KJYVThe mages of the Tower were skilled with magic, but were terrible at gathering information. Actually, that was natural because they spent most of their time sitting on desks.qPo
o3n“Damn that baldhead. Damn that Morushtan. I didn’t enter the Tower to do things like this…”prZdSby
7KhH1JzThe probationary period at the Tower of Mages was very long and complex.W1jLVF
kYpRIt took a very long time for anyone to be able to get taught anything by the old elders of the Tower, because of all the chores that went by the name of ‘probationary period’. Unlike the Academy where it was a master-to-student relationship, it was closer to apprenticeship and they didn’t teach magic very often.TRZTc
oz27iVH“Just you wait. As soon as this is over, I’m moving straight to the Red Cult. There, I just have to please that one old guy…”LJJFZAn
qQ6Even though Rellin was at the bottom of the rank, she had a decent appearance. Even the old mages, who talked about pride and lofty mindsets of mages, lost themselves when she took off her robe and showed them her thighs.RdV
5cqFrustrated from all the vague pieces of information, Rellin grumbled before going to a decent bar nearby.4M5c
9GJWmIt was a lot more polished and refined than the bar Manroji went to for gambling. Her opinion was that the intelligent mages had to use places like this and inwardly trash-talked the filthy baldy one more time.DKW7HWc
54UlYHN“Are you here by yourself?”rstxt
hKlK“Huh?”qG3
3ldf3That was when someone sat down next to her, and Rellin immediately recognized who he was.HJWMct4
yVT0Jp“You’re…”vwHS9CE
J3KPhHe was the guide assigned by the Academy. She did not know the name of lowly knights, but still recognized his face.UwKjOz
rid“I’m Korin Lork. Miss Rellin.”9A4UJGE
ylslx“…Why is an underage student here in the bar?”fEqo5V
csZLsVz“It’s a place run by an acquaintance of mine.”HmInjr
6hWIUasInstead of rashly taking his seat next to her, he leaned on the table and gazed at her.PXU8
nuSfBE“Can I buy you a drink?”f77b9fC
00aL1Y“I’m okay.”dWnc8Yz
rWS“Uncle Paul. Two martinis here, thanks.”tyDs
iUdDespite her saying no, Korin bought drinks before taking his seat next to her. Naturally, Rellin also turned towards him.m1CYlA
v6OK1M“Aren’t you too young to throw out pickup lines?”xw8
ABlR6G“Come on~. You are a mage. Think logically.”j8B0B
3mYXGY0“…Logically about what?”WaZ2yw
vfKhCje“It’s normal for bees to come looking for a flower.”vyf7
XREU9qZ“Bees? A flower? Huhaha…!”8Zc
a6DbW“Now that’s a pickup line. We haven’t even started yet.”Gwy
Aj1Rellin wasn’t displeased by the things this youngster was doing to her. Back at the Tower of Mages, she had to spend all of her time trying to please the old men.h1e6Wh
RPy1CShe was at the bare bottom, and had to write dozens of papers and submit a report even when she needed just a single orphan girl to use for her experiments. Therefore, she was obviously rather pleased by this young boy who was trying to seduce her with a deep gaze and a sweet voice.T16vui5
oSQc‘Well. At least he’s a lot better than that old Zollin.’pmH
eCwRellin thought about the old mage she had been seducing in order to become a secretary of a professor-level mage straight after moving to the Red Cult, and decided to enjoy this one-off occasion.gNsJmpm
iGkOeY“Ah. The drinks are here.”wnbz07
OsauKorin received the glasses from the bartender and gave one to Rellin.XSaIJQ
f4Uki“That’s a surprise, actually. Do mages from the Tower also drink?”qQR
TX9a4o“That’s a stereotype. We in fact tend to be very heavy drinkers.”Gbnn
ZGd7bY2“There’s also the stereotype that you are all intelligent elites. Is that also wrong?”5En
rnV55“That one’s not wrong.”I0c0Y
0BPP“Haha. What about experiments? The Tower is famous for experiments and research, right? Don’t you make like horned rabbits and stuff?”3It
61V“Well~. Rabbits are quite good for experiments. And that’s where the misinformation comes from.”Keax
KuTpv“Can you tell me a recent experiment or something that you did? Please? My friend wants to enter the Tower very soon, and I have a lot of questions.”EwM
f4a9dhw………OF9DScZ
3WZsNIa……kywERib
O7VQ…WIiJvug
Fw50tz“What a player. Mr. Korin.”tieyYqR
kYV“…What do you mean?”drI
usWAmolUsing the bathroom as an excuse, I was taking a short break when Alicia looked at me with a disapproving light in her eyes.4SF
bzZLmu8“Where in the world did you learn all that from?”74P
UI9UArV“Learn what?”BDP
T00“Hitting on girls!”sHy
h7NAh~. That was a misunderstanding.p2Ib
Su3Well, it was true that I approached her to hit on her, but it was incorrect to say that I was a player because of that.FXBhouK
zhO4RPy“Listen. There’s no one who hates free drinks, is there?”H5zJIfG
kmg“…I guess so?”4Y7CT
S7QNo one hated free stuff, and even those who initially say no were no exceptions.02I97
8DFQD“And besides, people like themselves being the topic of the conversation.”RA39DEi
Jtvh5c“…Is that why you didn’t say anything about yourself, Mr. Korin?”FNxzr4
cWqWaB“Yeah. All you have to do is be a good listener to what the other person is saying.”adz
0lhrfQmWow. You’re great~! You’re such an interesting person~. Making the other person the topic of the conversation was an easy way to put them in a good mood.uGHU
BXsZ“I think you’re using that way too well to hit on girls…”xiPH
cavbzkx“What was that?”3GgV2Hp
v9l“Nothing. Just go finish what you have to do.”PiWxPD
VCIc“Alright. Wait here. I will be back shortly.”ol6M
j1YcMC6For some reason, I could feel a sharp glare on my back, but I had to finish hitting on Rellin. It was my first time seducing someone, but I had a feeling that it was turning out quite well.MP3Ea
QOU3“Rellin. Sorry for the wai…”cAvUYFa
3j7“Wow~. Look at you. Look at the color of your lips. You are so pretty. Which lipstick do you use?”A8c2
KPuSaWhen I came back to Rellin’s table, I found out that there was a beautiful lady next to her.b0TxUt
fvY3s5She had twinkling pinkish hair, emerald-colored eyes, and a bright smile that enlivened up the dark bar with her radiant presence.m1LgIvQ
zWb“I’m Estella. What’s your name?”Xx8IsY
SvgV“R, Rellin…”VNhFrI
NVjdR1Estelle Hadassa El Rath. The 1st Princess of this kingdom and the Saintess of the New Faith.xlt8mtN
DfF“Do you mind me buying you a drink?”ILP0N
IyZpRjjWhy the heck are you here, noona??3eP31
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